TROJ_MOTMOT.CI

 Analysis by: Roland Marco Dela Paz

 PLATFORM:

Windows 2000, WIndows XP, Windows Server 2003

 OVERALL RISK RATING:
 DAMAGE POTENTIAL:
 DISTRIBUTION POTENTIAL:
 REPORTED INFECTION:

  • Threat Type: Trojan

  • Destructiveness: No

  • Encrypted: No

  • In the wild: Yes

  OVERVIEW


This Trojan connects to a malicious server to report infection and to download a file. It uses specific encrypted configuration files.

It sends an HTTP request to its C&C, which contain encrypted data.

Once connected, the server then replies with a malicious file which Trend Micro detects as TROJ_SFXMOT.A. As a result, routines of the downloaded file are exhibited in the system.

This Trojan may be dropped by other malware.

  TECHNICAL DETAILS

File Size:

1,051,528 bytes

File Type:

EXE

Memory Resident:

No

Initial Samples Received Date:

10 Aug 2011

Payload:

Connects to URLs/IPs, Downloads files

Arrival Details

This Trojan may be dropped by the following malware:

  • TROJ_MOTMOT.DRP

Autostart Technique

This Trojan adds the following registry entries to enable its automatic execution at every system startup:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
tintsetp.exe = "%Application Data%\sun\java\jre1.6.3\tintsetp.exe"

NOTES:
Upon execution, it connects to a malicious server to report infection and to download a file. It uses the following encrypted configuration files which are also dropped by TROJ_MOTMOT.DRP:

  • %Application Data%\Sun\Java\jre1.6.3\time.dat - when decrypted, contains numerous malicious servers where this malware may connect to
  • %Application Data%\Sun\Java\jre1.6.3\proto.dat - tells the malware which of the servers in time.dat to access
The configuration file, time.dat, contains the following list of C&Cs:
  • {BLOCKED}ba.{BLOCKED}4.net
  • {BLOCKED}ange.{BLOCKED}et.net
  • {BLOCKED}ze.{BLOCKED}s.com
  • {BLOCKED}pa.{BLOCKED}s.biz
  • {BLOCKED}a.{BLOCKED}y.net
  • {BLOCKED}ile.{BLOCKED}e.net
  • {BLOCKED}ra.{BLOCKED}a.com
  • {BLOCKED}ro.{BLOCKED}o.com
  • {BLOCKED}op.{BLOCKED}free.org
  • {BLOCKED}ee.{BLOCKED}te.us
  • {BLOCKED}.com
  • {BLOCKED}a.com
  • {BLOCKED}e.{BLOCKED}s.com
The malware will then send the following HTTP request to its C&C:
  • http://{malicious server}/bin/read_i.php?a1={parameter}&a2={parameter}&a3={parameter}
The HTTP data is encrypted and includes the following information from the affected system:
  • System user
  • CPU information
  • Operating system information
  • Number of USBs attached to the machine
  • Network card information
This malware does not continue its malicious routines if it finds any of the following virtual machine-related strings from the above-mentioned system information:
  • VMWARE
  • QEMU
Upon successful connection, the server will then reply with a malicious file which the malware saves as follows:
  • %Application Data%\Sun\Java\jre1.6.3\ctfmon.exe - detected as TROJ_SFXMOT.A
It executes the downloaded file. As a result, malicious routines of the downloaded file are also exhibited on the affected system.

  SOLUTION

Minimum Scan Engine:

8.900

FIRST VSAPI PATTERN FILE:

8.346.04

FIRST VSAPI PATTERN DATE:

10 Aug 2011

Step 1

For Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 users, before doing any scans, please make sure you disable System Restore to allow full scanning of your computer.

Step 2

Remove the malware/grayware file that dropped/downloaded TROJ_MOTMOT.CI

Step 3

Remove malware files dropped/downloaded by TROJ_MOTMOT.CI

Step 4

Delete this registry value

[ Learn More ]

Important: Editing the Windows Registry incorrectly can lead to irreversible system malfunction. Please do this step only if you know how or you can ask assistance from your system administrator. Else, check this Microsoft article first before modifying your computer's registry.

  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
    • tintsetp.exe = %Application Data%\sun\java\jre1.6.3\tintsetp.exe

Step 5

Scan your computer with your Trend Micro product to clean files detected as TROJ_MOTMOT.CI. If the detected files have already been cleaned, deleted, or quarantined by your Trend Micro product, no further step is required. You may opt to simply delete the quarantined files. Please check this Knowledge Base page for more information.

NOTES:

RECOMMENDATIONS

This malware is detected and removed by the latest Trend Micro anti-malware engine and pattern. Always keep pattern files and engines up-to-date. To know more about updating your Trend Micro product's pattern, please refer to the following Trend Micro support page:


Note: The steps apply for specific products indicated in the page.

To actively detect and protect your machine, enable real-time scanning of your Trend Micro anti-malware product. Refer to the following Trend Micro support page to know more about enabling real-time scanning in your Trend Micro product:

To enable Firewall to protect against threats: How to enable or disable the Personal Firewall of Trend Micro EN 1038273

  • Be aware of social engineering attacks.
  • Avoid accessing the listed malicious URLs to prevent possible re-infection.
  • Monitor network connections for any suspicious connection or connectivity.
  • Regularly update list of trusted sites.
  • Avoid downloading software cracks and/or pirated applications.
  • Clear browser cache and delete cookies regularly.
  • Delete files in the %User Temp% folder.


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